This is the 5059th most frequent Portuguese word.
mantinha
A small blanket.
In this sentence, 'mantinha' is the imperfect past tense form of the verb 'manter' (to keep or maintain), expressing a habitual action that was performed in the past.
Ela mantinha um diário para registrar suas lembranças.
She used to keep a diary to record her memories.
Here, 'mantinha' conveys the idea of continuously maintaining a state or condition in the past, related to 'manter' (to maintain).
Ele mantinha a postura de alguém confiante durante toda a apresentação.
He maintained the posture of a confident person throughout the presentation.
In this example, 'mantinha' refers to the act of keeping something physically close or available, again as part of its meaning derived from 'manter' (to keep).